In 1722, the community of Leistadt compiled a list of all of the property (house plots and fields) held by members of the community. This Morgenbuch was periodically updated as property changed hands, through inheritance or sale. The information it contains is remarkable and has led to many important discoveries. Each of these discoveries willContinue reading “New Findings from Leistadt!”
Tag Archives: Leistadt
Leistadt Church Book – Marriages
In the first installment of genealogical extracts from the Leistadt Church Book, you can now view marriages from 1700-1736 (in English). Baptisms and deaths will follow at a later date.
Early 18th Century Leistadt
Leistadt was the home village of Matthias Bruch of Pennsylvania. His father, Matthes Bruch, had moved to Leistadt to help rebuild following Leistadt’s destruction in 1689. Matthes was one of several immigrants to Leistadt, including the Hoffmann Andreas Neu and the huntsman Andreas Federkeil. In the early 18th Century, about half of Leistadt’s population were immigrants orContinue reading “Early 18th Century Leistadt”
Historical Sources and Records of the Bruch Families of Birkenfeld
As one would expect, the most important source of information on the early Bruch families in the Birkenfeld region are the records kept by the churches of births, marriages, burials, and sometimes confirmations. The Birkenfeld Church Book is one of the oldest in existence, with records starting in 1568, not long after the Reformation wasContinue reading “Historical Sources and Records of the Bruch Families of Birkenfeld”
The Origins of Matthes Bruch of Leistadt
We have known for some time that Matthias Bruch, who arrived in Philadelphia on the Harle in 1736, had come from the village of Leistadt. He was the third child and second son of Matthes Bruch, a master cooper. But, like many in Leistadt at the time, the elder Matthes was an immigrant to Leistadt, arriving atContinue reading “The Origins of Matthes Bruch of Leistadt”
Bruch Family History 